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Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park and outlying areas inclusive of the buffer zone
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau
Isabela and Aurora provinces, Central Luzon
The Tentative Lists of States Parties are published by the World Heritage Centre at its website and/or in working documents in order to ensure transparency, access to information and to facilitate harmonization of Tentative Lists at regional and thematic levels.
The sole responsibility for the content of each Tentative List lies with the State Party concerned. The publication of the Tentative Lists does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the World Heritage Committee or of the World Heritage Centre or of the Secretariat of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its boundaries.
Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party
The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP) is within the Sierra Madre Biogeographic Zone (SMBGZ) which lies along the eastern side of Central Luzon. The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP) is one of the ten (10) priority protected areas in the country.
The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP) is considered one of the most important of the protected areas system of the Philippines. It is the largest protected area in the country and the richest in terms of genetic, species and habitat diversity. The importance of the park is underscored by the myriad of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna that it supports. These include Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi ), Golden Crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus ), Philippine Eagle-Owl ( Bubo philippensis), Isabela Oriole (Oriolus isabellae ), Green Sea Turtle ( Chelonia mydas), Loggerhead Turtle ( Caretta caretta ), Hawksbill Turtle (Erethmochelys imbricata), Philippine Crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis ) and Dugong ( Dugong dugon ).
The mountain range system provides the area for growth and development of unique habitats and their associated flora and fauna, e.g., grasslands to mountain forests, which is among the most unique and richest on a per area basis among the park systems in the Philippines. It is described as long mountain chain providing habitats for the numerous species of plants and animals adapted to various ecological niches.
The NSMNP is habitat to many endemic and rare species of plants. Among the endemic plants in the park are the various species of the dipterocarp family such as Shorea spp. and Hopea spp., various orchids such as Dendrobium aclinia, the leguminous tree, Milletia longipes and a member of the citrus family, Swinglea glutinosa.
Statements of authenticity and/or integrity
The government of the Philippines decreed the NSMNP a protected area -- the nation's largest -- in 1997. In 2001, a new law granted it permanent protected status, precluding extractive permits. As a permanent member of the Philippines' Protected Area Management Board, CI continues to provide scientific input to inform the planning process, as well as technical assistance and logistical support for park protection. Major partners: Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources; local government units, both municipal and provincial; NGO for the Protected Area Inc.; Conservation of Priority Protected Areas of the Philippines; Nordic Agency for Development and Ecology; Dutch Ministry for Development Cooperation; Plan International Philippines; University of the Philippines; Isabela State University; Leiden University; the Smithsonian Institution; Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Comparison with other similar properties
Palanan Wilderness, Northeast Luzon- encompasses 200,000 ha. of prime virgin forest, revealing 10% of the country's protected wooodlands. The area shelters more than 200 species of birds including a small gathering of the Philippine Eagle. Along the coast of Sierra Madre, a small community of the Dumagat tribe resides with logging as their prime source of livelihood. Another group settling in the area are negritos.
Mount Guiting-Guiting, Romblon- Because of its isolated location, this impressive mountain has protected some of the rarest species of trees and wild animals, such as fruit bats, large monkeys and a hundred species of birds.
Coron Island, Palawan- the Island is covered with unexplored rainforests, stunning cliffs and secluded lakes. Aside from its rich wildlife and marine residents.
Mt. Pulag, Mountain Province- The mountain is a natural habitat of endemic species of wild plants, such as dwarf bamboo and the benguet pine, and wild species of birds, long haired fruit bats, Philippine deer and giant bushy tailed cloud rats.
Mount Kanlaon, Negros- located in the central highlands of Negros, this mountain is home to various species of ferns, lichens, and orchids. It is also inhabited by numerous species of tropical birds. Among them are hundred endemic species of bleeding heart pigeons and the nearing to extinction, Negros Fruit Doves. Others are Barblers and Warblers, Doves, Bulbuls, Flycatchers and woodpeckers.


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Description (from Goodreads): In 1870, monsters rise up and conquer the northern lands. As great cities are swallowed up by carnage and disease, landowners and other elite flee south to escape their blood-thirsty wrath. One hundred fifty years later, the great divide still exists; fangs on one side of the border, worried defenders on the other. This fragile equilibrium is threatened, then crumbles after a single young princess becomes almost hopelessly lost in the hostile territory. At first, she has only one defender—a mysterious Greyfriar who roams freely in dangerous vampire regions.
Review: I thought I'd try this book out after reading some great reviews from fellow bloggers. For the most part, I really did enjoy The Greyfriar, but I did have to find my rhythm in reading the story. There is a large cast of characters that I had trouble at first getting straight as they entered and excited very quickly. The plot had enough action to keep me occupied, but it is the slow burn relationship between the young, fiesty, and strong willed princess, Adele, and the mysterious Greyfriar that caught my attention. Readers looking for strong steampunk elements may be disappointed with this book as it's very lightly featured, but I'm guessing that these elements will become stronger in the next book of the series. By the end of the book, I wanted to know more about the world that the authors created and the characters. I'm looking forward to continuing this series.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Words of Caution: There is some strong violence, language, and disturbing images. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.
If you like this book try: The Rift Walker (Vampire Empire #2), Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
Description (from Goodreads): There are rules for dealing with ghosts. Too bad Ree Hutchins doesn't know them. When her favorite patient at a private mental hospital passes away, psychology student Ree Hutchins mourns the elderly woman's death. But more unsettling is her growing suspicion that something unnatural is shadowing her.
Amateur ghost hunter Hayden Priest believes Ree is being haunted. Even Amelia Gray, known in Charleston as The Graveyard Queen, senses a gathering darkness. Driven by a force she doesn't understand, Ree is compelled to uncover an old secret and put abandoned souls to rest--before she is locked away forever....
Review: The Abandoned is a prequel novella to the Graveyard Queen series by Amanda Stevens. The novella can easily be read independently from the series. While it contains the similar style of her paranormal mysteries, this novella left something more to be desired. While only less than 100 pages, Stevens takes her time to plan out her plot but I couldn't connect with the characters introduced in this novella. I think part of the problem is that I liked Amelia right from the start, but I didn't really think that Ree had enough of a personality to make her a three dimensional character. The plot was decent but I thought the ending and resolution of the ending was just too quick. I would recommend picking up this novella to give you a sense of what things you could expect from the author, but you want to fully immerse in the awesome paranormal mystery storyline you can go straight to reading The Restorer, the first book in the Graveyward Queen series.
Rating: 3 stars
Words of Caution: There is some language, a small sex scene, and disturbing images. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.
If you like this book try: The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting, Clarity by Kim Harrington, The Graveyard Queen series by Amanda Stevens.
Description: Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, must answer a mystifying summons to Egypt from the world's oldest vampire. Meanwhile back in London, beta werewolf Professor Lyall and Biffy find investigating nefarious goings-on.
Review: Timeless may not be the best book in the Parasol Protectorate series, but I really enjoyed the conclusion of this series. Not high brow or serious by any means, Timeless reminded me why I loved this series. Full of witty and tongue-in cheek British humor, a great setting, and characters that are more like friends you would love to take out to lunch or dinner. While I didn't really care that much for the plot where Alexia was concerned, I was a bit more involved with the murder investigation that Professor Lyall and Biffy unexpectedly find themselves in. There were a few new surprises which I didn't see coming, but the highlight of this book for me is the introduction of Prudence, the little darling toddler who stole the show. While I'm sorry to see Alexia and the gang go, I can't wait to read the spin off series of the same world featuring Prudence as a young adult.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: There is some language, allusions to sex scenes, and some violence. Recommended for teens and adults only.
If you like this book try: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences by Philippa Ballantine, The Iron Wyrm Affair by Lilith Saintcrow, Steam and Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape.

subset: commoncrawl


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Last week, Bjorn Lomborg, the widely published Danish professor and director of one of the world's leading environmental think tanks, the Copenhagen Consensus Center, published an article about the Philippines' decision, after 12 years, to allow genetically modified (GM) rice – "golden rice" – to be grown and consumed in that country.
The reason for the delay was environmentalist opposition to GM rice; and the reason for the change in Philippine policy was that 4.4 million Filipino children suffer from vitamin A deficiency. That deficiency, Lomborg writes, "according to the World Health Organization, causes 250,000 to 500,000 children to go blind each year. Of these, half die within a year."
During the 12-year delay, Lomborg continues, "About eight million children worldwide died from vitamin A deficiency."
"Golden rice" contains vitamin A, making it by far the most effective and cheapest way to get vitamin A into Third World children.
So who would oppose something that could save millions of children's lives and millions of other children from blindness?
The answer is people who are more devoted to nature than to human life.
And who might such people be?
They are called environmentalists.
These are the people who coerced nations worldwide into banning DDT. It is generally estimated this ban has led to the deaths of about 50 million human beings, overwhelmingly African children, from malaria. DDT kills the mosquito that spreads malaria to human beings.
US News and World Report writer Carrie Lukas reported in 2010, "Fortunately, in September 2006, the World Health Organization announced a change in policy: It now recommends DDT for indoor use to fight malaria. The organization's Dr. Anarfi Asamoa-Baah explained, 'The scientific and programmatic evidence clearly supports this reassessment. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is useful to quickly reduce the number of infections caused by malaria-carrying mosquitoes. IRS has proven to be just as cost effective as other malaria prevention measures and DDT presents no health risk when used properly.'"
Though Lukas blames environmentalists for tens of millions of deaths, she nevertheless describes environmentalists as "undoubtedly well-intentioned."
I offer two assessments of this judgment.
First, in life it is almost always irrelevant whether or not an individual or a movement is well intentioned.
It is difficult to name a movement that has committed great evil whose members woke up each day asking, "What evil can I commit today?" Nearly all of them think they're well intentioned. Good intentions don't mean a thing.
Second, while environmentalists believe they have good intentions, I do not believe their intentions are good.
Concern for the natural environment is certainly laudable and every normal person shares it. But the organized environmentalist movement – Lomborg specifically cites Greenpeace, Naomi Klein and the New York Times – is led by fanatics. The movement's value system is morally askew. It places a pristine natural world above the well-being of human beings.
The environmentalist movement's responsibility for the deaths of tens of millions of poor children in the Third World is the most egregious example. But there are less egregious examples of the movement's lack of concern for people.
Take the Keystone XL pipeline, the pipeline the Canadian government wants built in the US in order to send Canadian crude to American refineries. It would be a 1,179-mile, 36-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline, beginning in Alberta, and ending in Nebraska. The pipeline will be able to transport about 830,000 barrels of oil per day to Gulf Coast and Midwest refineries, reducing American dependence on oil from Venezuela – Iran's base in the Western Hemisphere – and the Middle East by up to 40 percent. It will also provide Americans with many thousands of well-paying jobs.
Approving this pipeline is a moral and economic necessity.
The American economy needs the pipeline – even big labor wants it; it vastly reduces American dependency on countries that wish to hurt us; it helps our ally and biggest trading partner, Canada; and if America doesn't use that oil, China will.
But the Obama administration may (again) veto the Keystone XL pipeline – for one reason: environmentalist fanaticism.
The employment of thousands of Americans, the well-being of the American economy and American national security – all of these concerns are secondary to the environmentalist movement's view of nature uber alles.
There are many fine people who are concerned with the environment. Indeed, we should all be. But the movement known as environmentalism is not only a false religion, it is one that allows human sacrifice.
Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: Click here.


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SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Paula Deen announced Thursday that she has cut business ties with the agent who helped make her a Food Network star and launch a media and merchandising empire that has largely crumbled in the wake of her admission that she used racial slurs in the past.
Deen had worked with New York agent Barry Weiner for more than a decade. She has said he was instrumental in getting her show "Paula's Home Cooking" on the Food Network in 2002. She gave no reason for her parting with Weiner in a prepared statement.
"Paula Deen has separated from her agent," Deen's spokeswoman, Elana Weiss, said in an email Thursday. "She and her family thank him for the tireless effort and dedication over the many years."
Deen's breakup with one of her key partners comes after a turbulent two weeks that have left the celebrity chef's network of business deals in shambles. It all started within days of the public disclosure of a legal deposition in which Deen admitted under oath to having used the N-word.
The Food Network passed on renewing Deen's contract and yanked her shows off the air. Smithfield Foods, the pork producer that paid Deen as a celebrity endorser, dropped her soon after. Retailers including Wal-Mart and Target said they'll no longer sell Deen's products and publisher Ballantine scuttled plans for her upcoming cookbook even though it was the No. 1 seller on Amazon. Even the diabetes drug company that made the much-criticized deal to hire Deen as a paid spokeswoman dumped her.
Weiner worked to turn Deen into a comfort-food queen since she was little more than a Savannah restaurant owner and self-publisher of cookbooks who earned raves for her fried chicken.
In her book "Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cookin,'" Deen recalled meeting Weiner through TV producer Gordon Elliott, who was convinced they could turn her into a star.
"Barry and Gordon felt like there was a show somewhere inside this Paula character that could be very successful," Deen wrote. "They probably courted Food Network for two years trying to push me at them."
Deen also noted in her book: "Barry is affectionately known in my family as Barry Cuda. Perfect name for an agent."
Deen's business deals began falling apart after she was questioned under oath in May as part of a civil lawsuit filed last year by Lisa Jackson, a former manager of Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House, which Deen co-owns with her brother, Bubba Hiers. Jackson says she was sexually harassed and worked in an environment rife with racial slurs and innuendo.
Ultimately it was Deen's own words that proved damaging. Asked in her deposition if she had ever used the N-word, she replied: "Yes, of course." That she also insisted "it's been a very long time" seemed to matter little to the companies paying to use her name and image with their products. Neither were they swayed by Deen's apologies in online videos and in person with the "Today" show's Matt Lauer.
Forbes magazine last year ranked Deen as the fourth-highest-earning celebrity chef last year, figuring she had hauled in $17 million. Her company Paula Deen Enterprises generates total annual revenue of nearly $100 million, according to Burt Flickinger III, president of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group.
Deen cast no blame in her statement announcing her split with Weiner. It ended by saying, "Paula wishes him well in all future endeavors."
Deen parts with agent after racial slur fallout


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Blue Jays 6, Phillies 5(10)
The Philadelphia Phillies found yet another way to cost Cliff Lee his first victory of the season.
Rajai Davis drove home the winning run with a two-out drive in the 10th inning that bounced over the wall and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied past the Phillies 6-5 Saturday, extending Lee's winless streak to 11 starts.
The Phillies, who have lost 11 of their last 14, fell to 1-8 in games decided in the final at-bat. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins also made a costly throwing error, the team's 14th miscue in 10 games.
''That's kind of how we play,'' exasperated manager Charlie Manuel said. ''We find a way to lose the game.''
John Mayberry Jr. hit a three-run homer, but Philadelphia couldn't hold on despite taking a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth.
''We could have had more wins but we don't have them because we don't play good baseball,'' Manuel fumed. ''Solidly, all around, we don't play good baseball. We've seen that quite a bit.''
Philadelphia lost for the fifth time this season when leading after seven innings.
''We've been in good positions to win, that's what's hard to figure out,'' Manuel said. ''We put ourselves in good positions but we can't get the job done.''
Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar hit a solo homer, finished with three hits and scored twice, including the winning run.
After Toronto scored three times in the eighth to make it 5-all, Escobar drew a leadoff walk in the 10th from Joe Savery (0-2). Escobar moved up on a balk, advanced to third on Mike McCoy's groundout and scored when Davis squared up an 0-2 pitch and hit a drive that hopped over the left-center field wall.
''It's always nice when you help the team win in dramatic fashion, especially being down 0-2, odds against me,'' Davis said.
By baseball's official scoring rules, Davis was credited with a single, even though balls bouncing over walls most often are ground-rule doubles. Since Escobar only had to advance one base to score, Davis' hit went as a single.
The Blue Jays' late rally denied Lee his first win of the season. The Phillies ace matched a season-high by allowing five runs and gave up a season-high 12 hits in seven-plus innings.
''They're a good offense,'' Lee said. ''They hit some good pitches.''
Lee has not won since a 4-2 win over Atlanta on Sept. 26, 2011, in his final start of the regular season. Lee then lost his only postseason start last year, a 5-4 defeat to St. Louis on Oct. 2.
''I can only control what I can control, I'm not going to get frustrated,'' Lee said. ''Obviously I would like to have more wins. I would like for us to win more, period. What's the point in getting frustrated about it?''
Francisco Cordero (2-4) pitched one inning for the victory.
The Phillies opened the scoring in the first on back-to-back doubles by Placido Polanco and Hunter Pence off Ricky Romero. Toronto tied it in the second on Escobar's fourth homer.
Philadelphia reclaimed the lead with a two-out rally in the third. Shane Victorino and Ty Wigginton hit consecutive singles and Mayberry followed with his fourth home run.
The Blue Jays cut it to 4-2 in the bottom half when Davis singled, stole second and scored on a two-out base hit by Colby Rasmus.
Philadelphia made it 5-2 with a run in the eighth off reliever Robert Coello. Brian Schneider and Michael Martinez drew back-to-back walks and Rollins followed with a ground-rule double to right, with Martinez forced to stop at third.
The Blue Jays scored twice and chased Lee before an out was recorded in the bottom half. Jose Bautista led off with a walk and advanced to third on Edwin Encarnacion's single to left. The relay came to Rollins, whose ill-advised throw to second sailed into right field, allowing both runners to score.
''We take a lot of pride in playing defense, we've done it for years,'' Rollins said. ''But this year, I don't know, it's been crazy.''
''It's just fundamental baseball, things that we've done around here for years. That's kept us in a lot of games and helped us win a lot of games. It's like, right now, the exact opposite. It's almost like a hex or something.''
Chad Qualls came on for Lee after Kelly Johnson followed with a single. Escobar popped out but pinch-hitter David Cooper snapped an 0-for-18 slump by chopping a single through the right side, sending Johnson to third. J.P. Arencibia followed with an RBI double down the third base line, snapping an 0-for-13 slump.
Romero allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings.
NOTES: Mayberry's father played for the Blue Jays from 1978 to 1982. ... Toronto placed RHP Drew Hutchison (sprained elbow) on the 15-day DL and recalled RHP Robert Coello from Triple-A Las Vegas. ... The Phillies recalled C Erik Kratz from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and optioned RHP B.J. Rosenberg to Triple-A. ... Philadelphia C Carlos Ruiz, who left Friday's game with a strained muscle in his left side, was feeling better Saturday and took batting practice before the game. ... Schneider, who started in place of Ruiz Saturday, was hit by a pitch twice. ... The game was briefly delayed in the top of the first when Phillies DH Jim Thome asked the grounds crew to add dirt to the left-handed batter's box.


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The 21st century is the most competitive job market in history. Any advantage a job applicant can get over the competition should be considered very valuable. In order to get hired for a job, you need to personally impress your employer during the interview. But before that can happen, you need to stand out from the crowd of job applicants so that you are seen as a valuable human resource and invited in for an interview.
This is where the cover letter and the résumé prove how valuable they are by selling your qualities to an employer. Your résumé is sometimes referred to as your curriculum vitae, but both documents serve the same function – selling your valuable qualities to an employer. The cover letter and résumé work together in order to promote your education, experience, and other skills in a way that places value on you as an employee. Once a human resource manager places value on the skills you possess, you will be invited in for an interview.
Most people don't realize this, but the goal of the résumé is not to get you hired; the goal of the résumé is to get you a job interview. Once you are invited in for an interview it is your job to sell your skills to an employer in a direct way that is completely personal. But we will talk about job interviews in detail later, for now we are concentrating on the résumé and the cover letter.
The cover letter has a goal of supporting the résumé – selling other qualities the résumé leaves out. Your cover letter allows you to clearly state which job you are applying for and explain why you believe you possess the skills needed for that particular job. The cover letter is the most overlooked and often ignored aspect when many people apply for jobs. This is a shame, truly a missed opportunity, since it is the cover letter that allows you to sell yourself to a potential employer on a personal level.
Countless students from the most expensive colleges and universities realize immediately after graduation that their degree isn't worth much without job experience – often quite a bit of experience. Even experienced and well-educated people realize that in a job market so competitive it takes more than just "experience" or "education" to succeed. The key to success is realizing that not all cover letters and not all résumés are created equally.
One of the biggest advantages you can gain over the competition is the realization that a professionally written résumé and cover letter can give you a big advantage in the 21st century job market. If you present a state-of-the-art résumé outlining your education and experience with a quality design, it instantly makes a first-rate impression on any potential employer. And if your cover letter is written on a personal level that is fully customized to suit your needs, your potential employer will be sold on you before the job interview begins!
I started a company called Résumé Design Service in order to help job-hunters gain an advantage over the competition. I wanted to help people gain the ability to place value on their skills. I've been doing this for a while now; I've even gathered a small staff of qualified people to help me out. I provide the best service possible and I guarantee all my work.
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1 Tasting Note
Wow. My first lapsang sochong and what a wopper! Aside from its super intense smoke favour this tea has a mild sweetness. I decided to make a bastardization of a Tibetan Butter Tea with it with interesting and quite delicious results. Not really an everyday drinking tea for me but for those times when something different is what im looking for, this is the one.


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HR Shared Services and Outsourcing has been saved
HR Shared Services and Outsourcing
Has your organization implemented service centers, deployed a shared services model including centers of expertise, or maybe outsourced HR and related technology capabilities in support of HR delivery? Think you've reached the future state? Think again.
For more than 15 years, companies of all sizes and levels of complexity, in virtually all industries and around the globe, have worked to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their HR operations. More recently, they've combined outsourcing — both broadly and selectively — with ever-improving technology for customers and operators of HR services. These changes have offered the goal of reaching future state more quickly.
Once, the vision of the future state cast the HR function as a way to deliver basic services to support the administrative requirements of employing people. As more companies globalized and grew, the complexity of those requirements increased. The cost and challenge of supporting those HR needs increased as well. In this environment, shared services and outsourcing became specific tools for delivering complexity in an effective way.
Many large and midsized companies turned to outsourcing as a way to realize the future state of HR service delivery. They transferred a large portion of the HR department's processes, technology, and people to outsourcing providers with the expectation that those firms would effectively transform the delivery of HR by providing an outsourced shared services model. Today we know that the fully outsourced approach to realizing business objectives proved more challenging than many anticipated.
As Deloitte's 2011 Global Shared Services Survey reaffirms, overall shared services deployments have moved the needle in the areas their designs called for. Cost reduction, controls, and process efficiency are the top three outcomes globally — and these results have remained consistent over the last few years. Many companies continue to work toward similar goals aligned with the future state they've envisioned for years.
By now, a more effective, efficient HR operation is simply not good enough. The many stories about challenges and achievements, whether in applying insourced, outsourced, or blended approaches, reveal a landscape that demands new thinking.
In the new vision of a future state, effectiveness and efficiency are table stakes. To realize this vision, complex businesses must also drive profitable global growth into emerging markets, flow talent seamlessly around the enterprise, and permit increasingly rapid merger, acquisition, and divestiture transactions on a grand scale. Together, these needs define a new future state for HR shared services and outsourcing.
To get there, HR shared services will have to bring significant improvement to:
- Driving a company's talent agenda
- Accelerating mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures while improving the quality of integration
- Improving leaders' ability to focus on the core business through high-quality services
Read the full HR Transformation: The Journey Continues book
Download the report (PDF) | Read on your iPad | Amazon Kindle | B&N Nook


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Martin, Yanks walk-off vs. Mets
Russell Martin and the homer-happy New York Yankees appeared a little out of practice when it came to celebrating a game-winning homer.
Martin led off the ninth with his second homer of the game and the New York Yankees took advantage of some shoddy infield defense to beat the Mets 5-4 Sunday for a three-game sweep.
The catcher rounded third as a sold out Yankee Stadium roared and jogged toward his joyous teammates waiting at the plate. He took a big hop and fell as he landed on the plate and grabbed his leg, putting a momentary stop to the bouncing party.
''I tried to jump in the air to celebrate, and I got about 2 inches off the ground,'' Martin said. ''But I still managed to touch home plate and it feels good.''
Martin's fall might've given his teammates a sudden reminder of what happened to Kendrys Morales. The Los Angeles Angels star broke his leg hopping on home plate during a walk-off win in May 2010 and missed almost two seasons.
''I worried, yes,'' manager Joe Girardi said. ''I saw him go down a little bit, but someone pulled him up and he walked quickly, so my worries went away.''
The homer on a full-count pitch off Jon Rauch (3-6) was the Yankees' first walk-off homer since Sept. 8, 2010.
The Yankees took advantage of errors by David Wright and Omar Quintanilla to rally from a 3-0 deficit and take a 4-3 lead in the eighth on a single by Alex Rodriguez.
But Rafael Soriano blew his first save since he started finishing games when Mariano Rivera was lost to season-ending knee injury.
Soriano gave up a tying double in the ninth to slumping Mets first baseman Ike Davis, a defensive replacement in the eighth. He got some help keeping it tied 4-all from shortstop Jayson Nix, who threw to third to get the lead runner on a grounder by Quintanilla.
''Any play he makes that's a heads-up play doesn't surprise me,'' Girardi said, ''because he's been around the game and understands what he needs to do.''
Boone Logan (1-0) got two outs with runners on first and third for the win. The Yankees are 7-2 in June.
The Yankees hit eight long balls in their first Subway Series sweep of the Mets in the Bronx since 2003 - that series included a fourth, makeup game that was played at Shea Stadium as part of a two-stadium doubleheader. It was their first win in their last at-bat against the Mets since June 12, 2009, when Luis Castillo dropped Rodriguez's potential game-ending popup, allowing two runs to score.
The Mets took a 3-0 lead against Andy Pettitte in the second inning with help from second baseman Robinson Cano's fielding error and Jonathon Niese pitched repeatedly out of trouble for much of the day to make it stand up for seven innings.
''Definitely a tough one, the way Jon Niese threw the ball,'' Wright said.
Pettitte gave the Yankees a scare in the sixth when he snared Scott Hairston's comebacker with his bare hand and threw him out. Girardi and trainer Steve Donohue raced out to the mound and after several minutes of deliberation and a few practice pitches, Pettitte remained.
He retired the side in order then was greeted by a pat on the shoulder by Derek Jeter at the dugout.
His left hand bandaged heavily, Pettitte said he'll be able to make his next start, which is scheduled to come after he turns 40 on June 15. X-rays of the hand were negative.
''He's got an extra day here. So he should be OK,'' Girardi said.
Girardi said Hiroki Kuroda will make his next scheduled start after he was hit on the foot by a sharp grounder Friday night.
Trailing 3-0, in the seventh, Martin hit a two-run drive off the top of the wall in right field after Wright's throwing error extended the seventh inning. Many of the 49, 010 - the third straight sellout - paused to wait and see if the leaping Hairston caught the ball.
''That was hard to take,'' Hairston said. ''Guess a lot of those things happen in this ballpark.''
Martin, who was hitting .173 entering play May 25 has four homers in his past six games and 10 RBIs. He's raised his average to .216.
''I'm starting to feel pretty comfortable at the plate,'' Martin said. ''I made a couple of adjustments and, hopefully, I'll just keep doing what I've been doing now.''
Jeter led off the eighth with a slow hopper that went under Qunitanilla's glove and rolled into the outfield. Jeter was given a single and he hustled into second base with a headfirst dive on the error.
Curtis Granderson then hit his second opposite field single of the game to left, off Bobby Parnell, to put runners on first and third. Mark Teixeira followed with a tying hit a day after he gave the Yankees the lead with a two-run homer.
The Mets scored more than three runs against the Yankees for the first time in 11 games and for the first time in their past five games this season, but have lost six of seven overall.
Making his 51st interleague start, matching Livan Hernandez for most all time, Pettitte raced through the top of the Mets order with only seven pitches in the first. He then needed 36 pitches in the second as the Mets scored three runs. He gave up three runs - two earned - and struck out eight in six innings.
The Yankees put the leadoff batter on against Niese five times in seven innings but came up empty until the seventh. The Yankees hit into three double plays to help quash threats.
Given an extra day of rest after leaving his most recent start with an accelerated heart rate, Niese appeared to get out of seventh inning when Andruw Jones hit a grounder to Wright. Wright spun and made the throw into the dirt.
Martin followed with his homer. His home run in the ninth was the third walk-off homer of his career.
NOTES: The Yankees reinstated pitcher Freddy Garcia from the bereavement list and sent Ryota Igarashi to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes/Barre. ... Jeter has grounded into 11 double plays this season. He had 10 all last year. ... Rodriguez moved past Eddie Murray for seventh on the career RBIs list with 1,918.


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Over on my new blog I have a post on running rustfmt on the Rust repo and how you can help with the process, if you would like to:
I'm a research engineer at Mozilla working on the Rust compiler. I have history with Firefox layout and graphics, and programming language theory and type systems (mostly of the OO, Featherweight flavour, thus the title of the blog). http://www.ncameron.org @nick_r_cameron
as our
pointer type (as we might do for tree-like data structures or linked lists).


text: Editor's Note: While this story has gone viral and has been picked up by the main stream media, we want to thank the brave Chinese woman who sent this to viewzone and also to Haisheng Liu, who translated the text for us. With all the speculation we remind readers that the images and coordinates provided to viewzone were accompanied by an explanation. That's probably the smartest place to start. Haisheng Liu for viewzone.com I was asked to translate a recent submission to viewzone that contained the following images, taken from the google-earth program. Of course I checked the archives to be sure they are correct and noted the GPS coordinates so anyone can confirm that these things are real. The top of this unusual rectangle construction spans 5670 feet -- over a mile -- and the road-like structures are as much as 100 feet wide! Google-earth images show the construction at various times going back to 2005. It is always covered with mud and the surrounding land shows no signs of activity for miles (except some miles to the West, where a perfect square of earth about a mile wide has been covered over with sand). Prior to 2005 the google-earth images are blurred in this specific area, suggesting it is not new. It appears to be made somewhat thick as it has not buckled or cracked over the years. Google now has a feature where you can view the exact location at different times in the past. Some photos go back 10 years. In this way you can see what has happened over time. The "puzzle" construction is very old and appears in the earliest satellite images (when not obscured on purpose). But wait, there's more weird things in this immediate area: As you will want to see these for yourself, the coordinates are provided. Zoom in on some of the remains of buildings and camps. They are all vacated and look like they were ransacked. There's a sign of an explosion in places with the ground riddled with 10 foot craters, as if cluster-bombed. And the two large, reflective shapes... are they runways? antennae? symbols? With a little exploring I came across this image of a remote village -- I mean in the middle of nowhere -- devoted to laying out this reflective stuff in a specific pattern. So much care has been spent to get these shapes exact. If you look closely you can see some straight lines, a "V" shape, as if pointing the way to something... And here, at the end of the runway, antenna, symbol (whatever) is this odd thing. Orange blocks, as big as cargo containers, are stacked in a circular manner around a small house. Then, sometime after 2007, there is a powerful explosion and the containers are scattered as much as a three miles from their original site. But some containers remain in formation and it looks as if the circular form actually moved relative to the central "house"... What happened? What is this place? It even has a HAARP-like installation (see 40 24'17.50"N 93 38'15.75"E) with antennae lengths indicating a 200 meter frequency. What we were told in the email: The reader says this is Top Secret area in a remote part of China. This is the Chinese "Area 51" where "captured" (alien?) technology is kept and tested. It is also near by where the nuclear bombs were detonated many years ago. Supposedly the main laboratories are underground. You can see the entrances if you look at the images. "Contact" has been made with other "technology" (?). A new propulsion system was being tested. But it was not well controlled and could not be stabilized. An accident happened and the device blew up. The area is "very contaminated" now, probably why we see no human activity (i.e. vehicles, habitation etc.). Then there's this: There certainly is strong evdence that something came from "above" and blasted this site (and most others in the area). Is this all just a hoax? Check this for yourself with google-earth and let us know what you find. COMMENTS: Hey look at 44 42'40.81"N 93 31'46.18"E -- this is some kind of antennae or something. It's HUGE! Wow, this stuff makes our Area-51 look limp! LOL TJ357 Reply to TJ357. Some of what you see are the power lines for existing or future wind generators. China has a massive solar and wind energy program and the turbines are arranged in precise grids -- sometimes for tens of miles. Here is an example of the same phenomenon in Colorado. It's a mile wide triangle which looks like it might have been a runway -- except there are no main roads around it. Maybe in the past? Check it out. Notice the green trim defining the shape -- also there are thousands of 10ft pits just like in China! And these show up as far back as 2001. Anyone know what this is all about? Was there like an interplanetary war and we lost? Or maybe these are used for military target practice? lol E.Paboda Check out the mate to your triangle in colorado. it's not far from the first one, pointing in the opposite direction. this is NOT a runway. 38 20'14.67"N 103 16'38.50"W. I'm looking for the other two directions now... lol. bozinoz Don't bother with these old runways. They were used for practice as part of the Advanced Flying School at La Junta AAF and later as auxiliary bases, but abandoned post WWII. I suspect the same is true of the Chinese "runways" as they seem the right shape and size for large bombers. The underground facilities would be where the bombs were stored. IMO anyway. BriBand |


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Popular resources include FAA Safety Briefing print subscription and Air Traffic Control Handbook.
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2005 Toyota Tundra
Review Pages
2005 Toyota Tundra
The Toyota Tundra gets a significant increase in power for 2005, and fuel economy has been improved. A new 4.0-liter V6 delivers 245 horsepower, matching the output of last year's V8 and representing an increase in power of nearly 30 percent over last year's V6. Meanwhile, the 4.7-liter double overhead-cam V8 has been refined with Toyota's VVT-i technology, bringing it up to 282 horsepower, an increase of 42 horsepower over last year's V8. Both engines are now available with responsive five-speed automatics; and the V6 is available with a new six-speed manual transmission. There are other refinements as well.
The Tundra is one of the smoothest, quietest, and most refined pickups we've driven. It's more agile than other full-size pickups, at least partly because it's slightly smaller. The Tundra feels quick and responsive, lighter on its feet and more refined than the domestic trucks. Buyer's appreciate that it's built to Toyota's high standards of quality, durability and reliability.
However, the Tundra isn't quite as full-sized as the new Nissan Titan nor is it as big as the domestic pickups, namely the Ford F-150, Dodge Ram, Chevrolet Silverado, and GMC Sierra. Critics call it a 7/8ths truck. It isn't quite as good at being a truck as the other trucks when hauling or towing, but it's capable of hauling up to 2025 pounds or towing up to 7100, if equipped to do so. Not everyone needs the ultimate in truck capability, though. For them, the Tundra offers plenty of capability to perform the work they ask of it, and its refinement and handling makes it a good alternative to a car.
Like the domestic trucks, Tundra is available with regular cab, extended cab, and crew cab (Double Cab) bodies. The Double Cab is more than three inches taller, and is built on a longer chassis than the other Tundra models; so it comes a little closer to being a true full-size pickup. It features a deep, six-foot bed and an adult-friendly back seat.
In addition to more horsepower, some Tundra models have acquired more standard equipment for 2005, including a tire-pressure monitoring system.
Model Lineup
Toyota Tundra is available as a two-door Regular Cab, an extended Access Cab with auxiliary rear doors, and as a true four-door Double Cab. Two- and four-wheel-drive versions are offered, employing similar suspensions and bed heights. Three trim levels are available: base, SR5, and Limited. Access Cab V8 models are available with a full-width or stepside bed.
Two engines are available, and both are more potent for 2005. The base V6 has grown from 3.4 to 4.0 liters. It still breathes through dual-overhead-cam (DOHC) heads, and now uses Toyota's computer-controlled variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i) to produce 245 horsepower, 5 more than last year's V8, and 55 more than the 190-horsepower rating of the 2004 V6. Torque is up significantly as well, from 220 to 282 pound-feet. The optional i-Force DOHC V8 sticks with its previous 4.7-liter displacement, but acquires VVT-i to boost horsepower from 240 to 282, and torque from 315 pound-feet to 325. Transmissions are new, too. The V6 now comes with a new six-speed manual. A new five-speed automatic is optional ($770-$840) with the V6, standard with the V8.
Base models are pretty plain, starting with the V6 Regular Cab 2WD with six-speed manual ($15,955). Bumpers are painted, but anti-lock brakes (ABS) are standard. Air conditioning is optional, either as a stand-alone ($985) or as part of a package ($1620) that includes wheel covers, mud guards, intermittent wipers, tilt steering, and a sliding rear window.
SR5 models offer the option of an Access Cab ($22,410) or Double Cab ($26,120); and two or four-wheel drive. SR5 models come standard with air conditioning; cruise control; tilt steering; power windows, locks and mirrors; remote keyless entry; sliding rear window; AM/FM/cassette stereo; tachometer; color-keyed front and chromed rear bumper; styled steel wheels; and other trim upgrades. The V6 and six-speed manual are standard in SR5 Access Cabs, but the five-speed automatic is available, as is the V8 engine. The V8 is standard in SR5 Double Cabs.
Limited models come standard with the V8, and are available in Access Cab ($27,075) or Double Cab ($29,745). The Limited's long list of standard equipment includes an in-dash CD changer, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, and an anti-theft system. Limited models also get a power rear window.
Four-wheel drive 4WD adds about $3300 to the SR5 and Limited prices above. A Sport Suspension Package for 2WD V8 models features Tokico shocks, springs tuned for handling, a 3.91:1 limited-slip rear differential, and Graphite-tone 17-inch alloy wheels wearing P265/65R17 tires.
Walkaround and Interior
The Toyota Tundra is a good-looking truck, with a bold grille opening that extends down into the bumper. The heavy-looking chrome grille bars faintly suggest the 1947 GMC design, a model now popular with collectors. Curving lines give the Tundra a sporty appearance, while bulging fenders make it look ready to go off road. However, the Tundra's styling is bland compared to the Nissan Titan, Dodge Ram, or Ford F-150. Toyota's StepSide body is more svelte than macho. I don't like it.
The Tundra Double Cab looks bigger and brawnier than the Regular Cab and Access Cab models. That's because it is bigger, not only longer in wheelbase, but more than three inches taller as well. Around back, Double Cab models sport unique taillights. At 74.3 inches, the Double Cab's bed is just a half-inch shorter than the Access Cab's. The Double Cab's four doors are traditional front-hinged doors.
Access Cab models have four doors, but the short rear doors are hinged at the rear and open opposite the front doors. As with other extended cabs, the doors on the Access Cab will bang into one another if you close the front door before closing the rear door. Fortunately, the inside of the rear door is padded, so this isn't a big problem. Handles for the rear doors are conveniently located on the outside, whereas most domestic pickups with extended cabs hide the handles inside the door jams. Unfortunately, the handle design isn't the most comfortable to use.
Regular Cab beds stretch over 8 feet, but the Access Cab's bed measures only 6 feet 3 inches. That's a few inches inches shorter than the medium-length bed offered on a Ford F-150 Supercab, but 7.7 inches longer than an F-150 Supercab's shortest bed (which still requires a wheelbase 4.4 inches longer than the Toyota's). Toyota's bed is 5 inches shallower than Ford's, 2.3 inches shallower than the Chevrolet Silverado's.
Double Cab beds are only about a half-inch shorter than the Access Cab's. The Double Cab's bed is 20.7 inches deep, 3.5 inches deeper than the beds of the Regular Cab and Access Cab. That makes it slightly deeper than the Nissan Titan Crew Cab's bed, though still not as deep as the Ford's.
Interior Features
The Tundra is a comfortable truck with a friendly interior. Front-seat roominess is competitive with other full-size pickups. Toyota claims the Tundra provides more front legroom than any of the domestic pickups, though only by about half an inch; and the Nissan Titan has only a tiny edge over Tundra. The others, especially the F-150, offer more hip room than the Tundra, however, and owners notice that.
The Double Cab is slightly roomier than the other Tundra models. It offers an inch more front headroom and a fraction more front-seat hip and leg room.
The 60/40 split-bench cloth seats that are standard in most models are welcoming and supportive. Double Cabs come with bucket seats up front, rather than the split bench.
Climbing in is easy, though the two-wheel-drive model seems to sit higher off the ground than other two-wheel-drive pickups. The Tundra feels tall in the saddle, giving the driver a commanding view over shorter vehicles.
Accessory switches are concentrated in the center cluster for easy operation. The fake wood on the dash is dreadful, but the instruments are straightforward, with a big tachometer on all but base models. A center console with four nice, big cup holders; dual map pockets; and covered storage is shared with the Toyota Sequoia SUV. Its lid holds a pad for note-taking, but it felt flimsy when we tried to use it. Double sun visors with extenders are useful at sunrise and sunset.
Access Cabs add interior storage space and the ability to carry two more passengers. If those passengers are adults, however, the rear seat is a short-term affair. The Tundra does not have nearly as much space in the rear compartment of its extended cab as the other full-size pickups. And the rear seatback is vertical, forcing occupants to sit bolt upright, uncomfortable for traveling any farther than the neighborhood restaurant. A far better use for the extended cab is carrying dry cleaning, groceries, briefcases, outdoor gear, or anything else that should be shielded from the elements. Unfortunately, the rear seat takes up a fair amount of room. The seat bottom on the split bench can be flipped up, but the seat doesn't fold completely out of the way, nor can it be easily removed. Some of the domestic extended cabs offer much better versatility.
Double Cabs, on the other hand, provide genuinely useful space for adult passengers in the back seats. Its 37.5 inches of rear-seat legroom make for comfortable accommodations, though Tundra's back seat still doesn't have as much space as in the Nissan Titan, Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra. But Tundra's rear seatback reclines at an angle of 24 degrees, adding to comfort. Each rear seating position has a headrest and three-point safety belt. Rear-seat passengers also enjoy their own heating and air conditioning outlets, and optional audio and DVD entertainment systems. Tundra Double Cab also offers the segment's first vertical power-sliding rear window. At 750 square inches, the Double Cab's rear window offers more than four times the open area of the manual sliding rear windows in the Regular Cab and Access Cab models, making it easier to access the bed especially important with a canopy. When the Double Cab's 60/40 split rear seat isn't occupied, it folds and tumbles to provide lockable, weather-tight storage space inside the cab.
Safety features for all Tundra models include seatbelt pre-tensioners and force limiters, along with the required dual front airbags. The passenger-side airbag can be switched off with the key when babies or children occupy the front passenger seat. A tire-pressure monitor is now standard.
Driving Impressions
The Toyota Tundra rides almost as quietly as a luxury sedan, whether it's a four-wheel-drive or two-wheel-drive model. This is the quietest pickup we've driven. There's little wind noise or road noise in the cabin. Ride quality is quite smooth for a truck. It feels truly refined.
Toyota's V8 is silky smooth, quick, and extremely responsive. The Tundra was previously sensitive at throttle tip-in, but it seems like that's been addressed with the 2005 models, so it doesn't lurch off the line. It also puts power to the rear wheels without wheelspin, providing excellent acceleration and stability. It's very responsive in the 45-mph range, so passing on two-lane roads is easy. And it sounds great. Stand behind the Tundra when it is started, revved, or even idling, and you're treated to a classic V8 burble that's pleasant to American ears. Yet, it's super-quiet when sitting inside the truck or standing in front of it.
V8 engines with twin cams and four valves per cylinder are usually associated with imported luxury sports sedans. Toyota perfected this design in its Land Cruiser and its Lexus luxury vehicles. For 2005, Toyota has added electronically controlled variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i) to the V8's long list of state-of-the-art features. So from the same 4.7 liters, it now produces 282 horsepower at 5400 rpm; and 325 pound-feet of torque at 3400 rpm. That's 42 more horsepower and 10 more pound-feet than last year's model, which already delivered quick response around town and strong power for towing and hauling.
Starting from a dead stop, a two-wheel-drive Tundra Limited easily accelerated up a long steep grade while pulling a 3,000-pound trailer. This tow rig was stable going around sweeping turns, and when braking from high speeds on steep downhill sections. There were none of the up and down motions when bouncing at low speed over a rough, lava-covered dirt road that some trucks exhibit when their front suspensions aren't up to balancing the weight on the rear tongue. Transmission and engine oil coolers are standard on Double Cab models.
The new base-level V6 is larger than last year's, at 4.0 liters compared to 3.4. Also equipped with dual overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, and VVT-i, it produces 245 horsepower at 5200 rpm, and its 282 pound-feet of torque at 3800 rpm represents a 28 percent increase over the 2004 V6.
Ride quality is excellent, maybe the best of the full-size pickups on bumpy freeways in Los Angeles. On rough pavement and bumpy dirt roads, the Tundra's suspension really shines. It damps out unwanted vibration and harshness and controls the movement of the wheels precisely, keeping the tires in contact with the road surface for excellent grip and handling. The 4WD suspension performed amazingly well and was easy to control when bouncing up a steep mountain trail on the Big Island of Hawaii. Bounding over harsh dips and humps, the suspension offered impressive travel and damping. It never hit the bump stops in spite of our efforts to beat it up. While bouncing over moguls, we noticed that neither the cowl nor the front hood shook. The Tundra's chassis is highly rigid with boxed front frame rails. Toyota also claims this truck offers class-leading ground clearance, and that everything underneath is tucked above the frame rails.
In Alaska, we found the 2005 Tundra's steering too slow and too light, and it seemed to require correction to maintain a straight course down the highway. Yet the Tundra was impressively composed in awkward situations. When making a quick Y-turn, then taking off, it doesn't generate the head toss often associated with awkward-handling trucks. It's a difficult phenomenon to describe, but makes the Tundra a very pleasant companion.
For off-road travel, Toyota offers the TRD Off-Road Package, developed with Toyota racing legend Ivan "Ironman" Stewart. Using Bilstein sho
Summary, Prices, Specs
The Toyota Tundra may not boast the brawny looks and heavy-duty capability of other full-size pickups, but it is smooth and quiet, light on its feet, and easy and enjoyable to drive on a daily basis.
The 2005 Tundra has been improved and further refined. There's more power for passing or towing, whether you choose the V6 or V8. All of this, wrapped up with Toyota's renowned quality, durability and reliability, make the Tundra a good choice among full-size pickup trucks.
New Car Test Drive editor Mitch McCullough filed this report from Alaska.
Model Line Overview | |
Model lineup: | Toyota Tundra Regular Cab V6 4x2 ($15,955); Access Cab SR5 V6 4x2 ($22,410); Double Cab SR5 V8 4x2 ($26,120); Access Cab SR5 V8 4x4 ($27465); Access Cab Limited V8 4x2 ($27,075); Double Cab Limited V8 4x2 ($29,745); Access Cab Limited V8 4x4 ($30,415); Double Cab Limited V8 4x4 ($33,075) |
Engines: | 245-hp 4.0-liter DOHC 24-valve V6; 282-hp 4.7-liter DOHC 32-valve V8 |
Transmissions: | 5-speed automatic; 6-speed manual |
Safety equipment (standard): | dual front airbags, front seatbelt pre-tensioners and force limiters, ABS, tire pressure monitor |
Safety equipment (optional): | electronic stability control |
Basic warranty: | 3 years/36,000 miles |
Assembled in: | Princeton, Indiana |
Specifications As Tested | |
Model tested (MSPR): | Toyota Tundra Double Cab Limited 4x4 ($33,075) |
Standard equipment: | 4.7-liter i-Force V8; automatic transmission; anti-lock brakes (ABS); air conditioning; cruise control; fog lamps; six-speaker AM/FM/cassette/CD with six-disc in-dash changer and steering wheel controls; tilt steering wheel; variable-speed intermittent windshield wipers; power windows/locks/mirrors; vertically powered rear cab window; driver and passenger sun visors with extensions; P265/65R17 tires; 17-inch aluminum wheels; front and rear mudguards |
Options as tested (MSPR): | All-Weather Guard Package ($100) includes heavy-duty battery, starter and heater plus heated mirrors; daytime running lights ($40); bed liner ($299) |
Destination charge: | $540 |
Gas guzzler tax: | N/A |
Price as tested (MSPR): | $34054 |
Layout: | four-wheel drive |
Engine: | 4.7-liter DOHC 32-valve V8 |
Horsepower (lb.-ft @ rpm): | 282 @ 5400 |
Torque (lb.-ft @ rpm): | 325 @ 3400 |
Transmission: | 5-speed automatic |
EPA fuel economy, city/hwy: | 15/18 mpg |
Wheelbase: | 140.5 in. |
Length/width/height: | 230.1/79.7/75.0 in. |
Track, f/r: | 65.9/67.3 in. |
Turning circle: | 47.0 ft. |
Seating Capacity: | 5 |
Head/hip/leg room, f: | 41.2/59.7/41.6 in. |
Head/hip/leg room, m: | N/A |
Head/hip/leg room, r: | 40.2/58.3/37.5 in. |
Cargo volume: | N/A |
Payload: | 1580 Lbs. |
Towing capacity: | 6500 Lbs. |
Suspension, f: | independent, upper and lower wishbones, coil springs, gas-charged shock absorbers, anti-roll bar |
Suspension, r: | live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, staggered gas-charged shock absorbers |
Ground clearance: | 12.3 in. |
Curb weigth: | 5020 lbs. |
Tires: | P265/65R17 |
Brakes, f/r: | disc/drum with ABS |
Fuel capacity: | 26.4 gal. |
Unless otherwise indicated, specifications refer to test vehicle. All prices are manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSPR) effective as of September 27, 2004.Prices do not include manufacturer's destination and delivery charges. N/A: Information not available or not applicable. Manufacturer Info Sources: 1-800-468-6968 - www.toyota.com |


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What Are Cronuts And How Do I Make Them At Home?
What could be better than a hybrid pastry of donut and croissant?
The cronut, a "baked good heard round the mediasphere," according to Vogue magazine, is just that — flaky, buttery dough that's deep-fried to golden brown perfection, and then filled with cream and glazed. Since its debut in the spring of 2013, the cronut has launched into an international phenomenon, and with a dedicated following. With its burgeoning popularity, the donut-meets-croissant is in high demand — and has even found its way onto the black market.
Click here to see How to Make a Cronut at Home
The mastermind behind the cronut craze is pastry chef and owner of Manhattan's Domnique Ansel Bakery, Dominique Ansel, who invented the circular treat to blend his French upbringing with an American classic. Word on the street is that Ansel's secrets include using croissant-like dough, which he then fries in grapeseed oil. The result is a light and flaky cronut that is finished in three ways: rolled in sugar, filled with cream, and topped with glaze.
The cronut has become so popular that people can't resist trying to replicate it, and news outlets and food and drink websites can't stop themselves from breathlessly covering new cronut developments every five minutes. ChicagoMag.com reports that a local Windy City bakery is serving a knockoff, dubbed the "dossant." While on the West Coast, a San Diego, Calif., bakery is dishing up an imitation of the crazy pastry, appropriately titled "cray-nut." The cronut is even going international, with "frissants" popping up in Vancouver, and Down Under, reports the The Sydney Morning Herald, with "zonuts." One Las Vegas bakery, succumbing to the hype, is simply calling their version "One of Those." Oh, and, there are the people who think they're the ones who created it to begin with, like one drama-loving soap opera-actress-turned-cook in Texas.
As you may have guessed, we tried replicating it, too. Although Ansel and the rest of the bakery's team are keeping mum on the coveted recipe, we got the inside scoop from a professional pastry chef who used to work for Ansel — before he created the cronut — on how to make croissant dough at home. Her keys to cronut success include, "Keeping the dough chilled, otherwise you'll have a buttery mess on your hands." Also, "When initially mixing the dough, resist the urge to overmix. Just mix until the dough is a consistent texture." Although the process seems laborious, she says,"This dough is easier to make at home than most [people] expect."
We were up for the challenge and based our recipe on classic croissant dough. Taken from what we know about the original cronut recipe, we fried in ours in grapeseed oil and finished it by giving it a dusting of sugar, filling it with cream, and topping with glaze. While Ansel's version takes a lengthy three days to complete, we've skillfully compressed it down to one — if you start early! So while cronut-craving tourists and New Yorkers are lining up, hundreds-deep, to get their hands on one, you'll have no problem scoring the elusive pastry with our recipe at home — that we think just might rival the original.


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10 Ways to Reuse That Christmas Tree
Many Networx readers will be putting up some form of Christmas tree in the coming days or weeks, and while there are lots of alternatives to the traditional cut conifer, these holiday classics still dominate the landscape. The only problem is what happens at the end of the Christmas season, when that once-proud tree is a brown, dessicated remainder of its former self, and you have to drag it out of the house, shedding needles along the way, and send it along on the next step to its journey.
City streets in late December are commonly bedecked with cast-off Christmas trees waiting mournfully for collection, and some cities actually set up Christmas tree collection programs, specifying a collection day and sending around compost collection trucks to gather up the dead. But that doesn't have to be the fate of your Christmas tree, because there are many creative uses for its remains that offer a more dignified solution.
1. Fire starter
Christmas trees are infamously flammable, especially at the end of their lives, when they have minimal moisture to suppress flames. While electricians may caution you about the use of some electrical components around a Christmas tree, you can turn that trait to your advantage once the holidays are over. Cut your tree into manageable portions and repurpose the branches and trunk as kindling and fire starter to quickly get flames going in the woodstove, firepit, or fireplace. Make sure all tinsel and ornaments have been removed to avoid noxious smoke.
Be aware that if your tree is at all sappy, you run the risk of creosote buildup. It needs to be completely dry before being used in indoor fireplaces and woodstoves.
2. Fire starter, bonus edition: bonfire
Some families make an epic post-holiday tradition of creating a bonfire with their trees, and they may even combine forces with friends and other households in the family to make the fire last longer. Christmas trees light up like, well, Christmas trees, and they can make a great bonfire source for a New Year's party on the beach or in the backyard. As with any bonfire, check to determine if you need a burn permit first, and observe safety precautions: light the fire in a clear, open area on a day with minimal wind, don't keep flammable objects nearby, and supervise the tree closely as it burns.
3. Mulch
Those obnoxious shedding needles make fantastic mulch for your garden, and the branches can be composted in the brown layer of your compost. If you have access to a wood chipper, run the trunk and large branches through to create wood chips, which can be used for mulching, lining paths, or suppressing weed growth. Your local Los Angeles landscaping company may be happy to mulch your tree for a small fee.
4. Pathway edgers
Cut that trunk into miniature rounds and use them in upright position to edge paths (or beds and other garden features). If you have a somewhat folksy, natural, relaxed-feeling garden, they'll fit right in. They'll also break down slowly to nourish the soil and slowly improve the condition of your garden beds, which is a nice added feature. Incidentally, those same rounds can also be sanded and sealed to make coasters.
5. Trellising and staking
A trunk with most of the branches trimmed away can create a natural trellis, while leftover branches can be used as a free source of garden stakes. They make be crooked, but that can add to the charn in a garden where more formal straight stakes would look out of place.
6. Fish habitat
Overwintering fish need places to hide from predators and get out of the coldest parts of the water. That's where tree branches come in. In nature, branches may naturally fall into ponds, rivers, and streams to create habitat, but in more manicured water features, fish typically have fewer options to choose from. Adding branches from old Christmas trees can help keep fish safe through the winter months.
7. Make a cat tree
Admit it: your cats have probably already been climbing the Christmas tree, so why not make the arrangement formal? Trim away most of the branches, leaving large and sturdy ones in place as braces for scrap wood from construction sites or the hardware store. Screw the wood down tightly so it won't wobble before you upholster with scrap carpet or other material (consider wrapping some parts of the trunk in coarse rope for the cats to scratch) and set the tree up on a stable base.
8. Suet feeders
Birds and other animals love suet, especially in the winter months, when food sources are limited. Trim the tree down and drill out the trunk so you can insert suet, bird seed, and other treats. Your old tree will provide you with some great birdwatching!
9. Dune restoration
Here's a surprising use you might not have heard of: Christmas trees are sometimes anchored in place on beaches to trap sand to slowly rebuild damaged dunes and banks. As the sand builds up, it slowly covers the tree, and conservation organizations can plant dune grasses to hold the sand down. If you're interested in seeing your tree go to a good cause, contact the government agency or conservation group working on beach and dune maintenance in your area to see whether they can use your tree.
10. Recycling
Finally, yes, you can always recycle your tree. Contact your municipal waste agency to see if they have a citywide tree pickup day, accept curbside trees, or expect people to bring their trees to a recycling lot. Some charities collect trees after Christmas and bring them to a central recycling facility, and you may also be able to drop your tree off at a locale like Home Depot. Before sending your tree for recycling, please remember to remove ornaments, tinsel, and other decorations that could interfere with processing it.
Katie Marks writes for Networx.com.
Updated June 18, 2018.
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text:
LONDON (AP) — Energy company BP said Tuesday that it remains committed to its investment in the Russian oil firm Rosneft, despite U.S. sanctions targeting its president, Igor Sechin, and sharp drops in income from its stake.
BP's earnings from its 19 percent stake in Rosneft have fallen sharply, mainly because of the drop in the value of the ruble against the dollar.
Its pre-tax replacement cost profit — an industry measure of earnings — fell to $271 million for the quarter ending in March, compared with $1.08 billion during the fourth quarter of last year. In the year-earlier quarter it had made $85 million, though that figure reflected only 11 days of production because the stake in the company had only recently been purchased.
Sechin has been president of Rosneft since the early 1990s. He is seen as the mastermind behind the 2003 legal assault on the private oil company Yukos, whose founder, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was later jailed following his disputes with the Kremlin. Rosneft seized the most lucrative elements of Yukos and it became Russia's largest company.
BP made note of the sanctions with a very brief statement at the end of its earnings.
"It is too early to assess the impact on BP," it said.
BP said net profit fell to $3.5 billion from $16.9 billion in the first quarter a year earlier. Underlying replacement cost profit fell about 24 percent to $3.2 billion.


text:
09.08.2023 - 30.10.2023
Mon, Wed 18:00 - 19:30
Course ID: G39389
24 lessons, 3 months
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | |
Morning | ||||||
Lunch | ||||||
Afternoon | ||||||
Evening | 18:00 | 18:00 |
- 09.08.2023 - 30.10.2023
- 24 lessons
- 2 lessons per week
- 90 min. per lesson
- Max. 4 participants
I had a very good experience with Aida who helped me to find the right course for me, and Silvan as a fantastic teacher for private Swiss German classes on zoom! Very friendly and professional.
Nathalie Nüssli is a wonderful teacher and we were very fortunate to have a great group. I learnt so much more than I would have on my own.
I had online German course B2 level . There were only 3 people in our class, so I had a lot more chance to talk in German. My teacher Isabel was very professional and friendly, I would definitely recommend her for the lesson. She always gave us the homeworks and sent us back correted answer quickly which helped me a lot as well. It costs quite a lot, but as there are not many students in a class, so it was worth it. Unfortunately, there was no administrations office in Winterthur branch, so it seems all enquries are done only with email or the telephone. But Administrative person calling me back in a short time.
Great school and management, professional service, very capable professors and overall super pleasant experience. Recommend 10/10 for anyone who wants to improve their German!
Great teachers, flexible schedule, convenient location - I enjoyed my German B2 and C1 classes I had with VOX.
Very personal service, good organization and high quality of the lessons, even if they were taught online. We covered a whole level within one course and I noticed the difference right away in real life conversations!!! Within a few weeks I was able to refresh all the knowledge I already had and actively build on this, which is exactly what my goal was! The lessons were in a small group, which is very nice as you meet new people and can practice together, but the group is still small enough to get personal attention. There is a very good balance between speaking, grammar and vocabulary in every lesson. As part of the course you get a book that is okay (I would like some more grammar explanation in the book, it is mostly exercises), however there are a lot of good exercises that we were not able to cover all during the course, which allows you to keep practicing even after the course. What I appreciated most is the tips from the teacher about common phrases and swiss terms, that only a native speaker can tell you and you definitelly do not get through platforms like DuoLingo that I was using before! All with all definitely very happy I joined the course :)
(Translated by Google) In addition to a central location and a motivated and qualified team, Vox offers a result-related method that quickly leads to speaking. This approach was new for me as a teacher as well as a student and I was immediately enthusiastic. (Original) Neben einem zentralen Standort und einem motivierten und qualifizierten Team, bietet Vox eine ergebnisbezogene Methode, welche schnell zum Sprechen führt. Dieser Ansatz war für mich als Lehrer sowie als Schüler neu und hat mich auf Anhieb begeistert.
I was taking individual classes and I had good teacher during the training. More focus on practical learning vs. overkill with grammar.
Great language school with amazing teachers! I can especially recommended Sabrina and Felicity, both very professional and friendly, explain everything in a great detail, encourage to talk and help you to pronounce words correctly. The admin staff also very accommodating and helpful.
(Translated by Google) I am very satisfied with VOX School. I had my lessons with Kristina. After taking lessons with her, I received the Goethe certificate C1. I can recommend Kristina to everyone. (Original) Ich bin sehr zufrieden mit VOX-Schule. Ich habe mein Unterricht mit Kristina gehabt. Nach dem Unterricht bei ihr erhielt ich das Goethe-Zertifikat C1. Ich kann Kristina für jeden empfehlen.
As a teacher working for VOX, I could not be happier about my experience here. Teaching to single students or small groups (max five people) allows me to adapt the lessons to their goals, maximize their progress, follow them up thoroughly and establish trustworthy, effective relationships. The focus is on speaking skills, which I consider crucial to prepare the students for contexts of real communication. The team is varied, multilingual, highly motivated and supportive: the students will always find someone that can fit with their timetable and requirements. Finally, the school has a clear ambition to grow, to develop and to provide an ever-improving service. From my point of view, highly recommended for both teachers and students.
(Translated by Google) I enjoyed the German courses B1 and B2, I am completely satisfied! We had a small group and talked a lot during the class, that was great! The teachers are professional and nice. Thank you so much! (Original) Die Deutschkurse B1 und B2 sind mir gefallen, ich bin völlig zufrieden! Wir hatten eine kleine Gruppe und sprachen viel Zeit während des Unterrichts, das war super! Die Lehrerinnen sind professionell und nett. Vielen Dank!
University class teachers
You will be taught only by carefully selected teachers with a university background in linguistics.
Focus on speaking
Speaking is at the core of our teaching method - it is only by speaking that you can learn to speak.
Max. 2-5 participants
To ensure top quality teaching, group size is limited to 2-5 participants.
Fast progress
We always aim to complete one level in one course. You will not encounter such course types as A1.1 or A1.2 at VOX-Sprachschule.
Central location
The schools are a couple of minutes away from the main train station of Zurich and Winterthur.
Trial lesson
You are always welcome to book a trial lesson before embarking on your language journey with us!